Manager
Ed Short
Co-op Editor
Patty Singleton-Seay
ALABAMA LIVING is delivered to
some 420,000 Alabama families and
businesses, which are members of
22 not-for-profit, consumer-owned,
locally directed and taxpaying electric
cooperatives. Subscriptions are $12
a year for individuals not subscribing
through participating Alabama electric
cooperatives. Alabama Living (USPS
029-920) is published monthly by the
Alabama Rural Electric Association
of Cooperatives. Periodicals postage
paid at Montgomery, Alabama, and at
additional mailing office.

Bears on the move
Alabama’s bear population is around 400 and growing, state
biologists say. Bears are naturally shy and can even
live near a residential area without being seen. Read
more about these powerful predators beginning on
Page 40.

CEC held a reception in January to
present $20,739.26 in grants to more than
50 educators in our service area through the
Bright Ideas program.
The co-op originally offered up to $15,000
in grants, but due to an overwhelming
response to the program, the CEC board
agreed to use contingency funds for community involvement to increase the grants. CEC
was able to provide full or partial funding to
all eligible applicants.
CEC offers this program to help support
teachers with learning initiatives that are not
covered by traditional funding. The program
is available to K4-12 grade teachers in public
and home schools served electrically by CEC.
Individual teachers could apply for grants
from $250 up to $750, while teams of teachers could apply for a maximum of $1,500.
This is the second year that CEC has offered
the Bright Ideas program and we are excited
that the number of applicants more than
doubled from the last school year.
This year, CEC awarded grants to teachers
and/or teams of teachers at Kinston School,
Pleasant Home School, Straughn High
School, Straughn Elementary School, Red
Level High School, Red Level Elementary
School, Samson Middle School, Samson Elementary School, Covington County Schools,
Brantley School, Fleeta School and one home
school. These grant awards will benefit more
than 4,000 students who are the children and
grandchildren of CEC members.
The 2017-2018 Bright Ideas Grant
Recipients are:
Kinston School
Tiffany Carnley and Suzanne Elmore each
received $500 to purchase STEM activities
for Early Childhood Learning Initiatives
based on a play-based curriculum using
active exploration learning opportunities;
Bryan Peacock and Shan Sessions received
$799 to purchase a Swivel Robot that records
teacher and student interactions for a holistic

understanding of the classroom that helps
teachers make improvements in their teaching methods; Annette Presley, Faith Caylor, Crystal Hawthorne, and Sandy Reeves
received $400 to purchase Amazon Echos
to utilize digital resources which can be
used in math, science, reading, history, arts,
character education and STEM activities;
Kelly Flowers received $500 for a Kazoom
Kites and Pythagorean Theorem which is a
hands-on learning project where students
build kites, take measurements, and apply the
Pythagorean Theorem, to find out how high
each kite is flying at its highest point; Caleb
Morris received $500 to help furnish the
chemistry lab with important tools to help
prepare students for college chemistry; Scott
Crosby and Laura Clark received $1,000 for
the Learn How To Grow: K12 Hydroponics
Project, where students will construct and
sustain hydroponics and aquaponics systems
for food production to educate the entire
student body on sustainable agriculture and
promote healthy eating habits; Dawn Smith,
Sandy Rhodes, and Evan Harvin received
$1,000 for Bulldog Boxes that will contain
items that allow students to complete various
life skills tasks that are related to fine motor
skills for the younger students and vocational
tasks for older students; Blake Van Winkle,
Lougener Wyrosdick, Teresa Jacobs, and
Sonna Davis received $1,500 for Taking The
Stage, which utilizes recording technology
to enhance practice and performance skills,
as well as combining multiple art mediums
into a skillful and creative display (musical,
dramas and speeches); Jennifer Sanders
received $750 for Makerspace with Literature
– Collaborative spaces where students gather
to get creative with DIY projects, invent new
ones, and share ideas; and Mary Mack received $500 for STEM – A curriculum based
approach to learning through discovery and
exploration.
Red Level Elementary School
Teresa Richardson, Melissa Alday, and
www.alabamaliving.coop

| Covington Electric Cooperative |

The CEC Bright Ideas Grant recipients were honored at a reception held on Jan. 23,
at the CEC main office auditorium. CEC awarded $20,739.26 in grants to 54 teachers
at 11 schools and one home school served electrically by the co-op. These grants will
support effective and creative learning projects benefiting more than 4,000 students
locally who are the children and grandchildren of CEC members. Teachers and
principals from nine of the schools receiving Bright Ideas grant funding from CEC are
pictured above with CEC General Manager Ed Short (standing left) at the reception.

Stephanie Taunton received $1,000
to purchase a STEM activity where
students will build two boats, one with
baking soda power and one with a
simple electric current. The students
will compare and contrast the two boats
as they learn about chemical reactions,
force and electricity.
Straughn High School
Tina Shiver, Tamberli Dixon, Marsha
Fowler, and Taylor Weeks received $800
for the Culture to the Country program
designed to give students opportunities
to experience art in many forms; Greg
Windham, Erica Ziglar, and Sherri
Williams received $1,500 for Wisdom
of the Hands – Arts Education with
Special Needs Students.
Samson Elementary School
Desiree Williams received $500 to purchase a classroom library for the Accelerated Reader program from Scholastic.
com to teach children on multiple
reading levels for multiple grade levels.
Brantley School
April Hall and Lee Grosenbach received
$1,500 to purchase materials to build
a telescope observatory on campus,
where students can observe stars, planets, galaxies, nebulas, and our moon.
The program will consist of speakers,
activities and observation time.
Alabama Living

Straughn Elementary School
Dawn Ward and Shawna Hall received
$215 for the Marble Run Exploration
Project that will teach children basic
physics, logic, critical thinking, fine
motor, and problem-solving skills;
Angie Mack received $350 to purchase
a storybook STEM bundle along with
children’s books to enhance literacy,
vocabulary, mathematics, engineering,
and science skills.
Pleasant Home School
Trinity Riley received $250 to purchase
lap boards, markers, number writing
videos and letter writing videos to
practice writing numbers and letters
as a large group and in smaller groups;
Jessica Ward received $400 to purchase
supplies to help Honors Math Class
students design and construct board
games that meet specific math requirements tailored to their grade level;
Jennifer Lucky and Leigh Lee received
$350 to purchase child appropriate
furniture and center items to develop
age appropriate writing and language
skills and interactive learning materials
for a Pre-K classroom; Sherry Kelley
and Kim Turman received $750 to redesign the learning space for first grade
classrooms with flexible seating that includes areas with round or rectangular

tables of different heights, comfortable
chairs, small couches, stools, beanbags,
etc.; Linda Patton received $500 for a
Food Group Cooking Camp that offers
an exploration of food from the five
food groups that will cover nutrition
fundamentals for each food group and
provide the groundwork students need
to be safe and creative in the kitchen;
and Heather Griffin and Maria Davis
received $525.26 for Leap Frog Epic
to remediate, improve, and enrich the
education of their classes.
Red Level High School
Keron Kyzar, Dawn Kelley, and Kristan
Etheridge received $850 for Breakout
of the Traditional Classroom, a real-life
adventure game that challenges groups
to escape a room in less than sixty
minutes by using their minds to solve
puzzles, clues and ciphers, creating an
opportunity for active learning.
Home School
Summer Melvin received $750 for a
Honeybee Project, where students will
research and build a honeybee hive
to observe in a natural setting, and
document social aspects of the bees,
production of honey and the beneficial
effects of pollination.
Fleeta School
Valerie Brownlee received $750 for the
Future City Competition in Huntsville
where sixth-eighth graders will
imagine, research, design and build
cities of the future that showcase their
solution to a citywide sustainability
issue.
Samson Middle School
Traci Tillman received $300 for
Maneuvering the Middle – math
activity bundles that are standardsbased, student-centered resources used
to supplement the curriculum.
Covington County Schools
Joy Sowards and Shannon Driver
received $1,500 for Musically Motivated
which will enhance the music program
for schools in Covington County by
adding enough instruments so that
all students can benefit from a quality
music program.

APRIL 2018 5

| Covington Electric Cooperative |

Three CEC employees graduate from the
Southeastern Lineman Training Center
Covington Electric Cooperative apprentice linemen Peyton Garner, Jacob
Qualls and Clark Kilcrease graduated
from the Southeastern Lineman Training Center (SLTC) in Trenton, Ga.,
last December. This 15-week program
was the first step to begin their journey
toward becoming linemen.
The apprentice lineman program
includes four modules with course
studies and on-going testing as well as
on-the-job training. The entire program
to become an electrical lineworker
takes about four years to complete. All
newly hired apprentice linemen at CEC
must go through, and complete, this
program.
CEC has participated in the apprentice lineman program for many years
and during that time the co-op has had
employees who have earned awards
for their outstanding performance and
effort. In December, Clark Kilcrease
was recognized at the SLTC graudation
ceremony with three awards including
Most Outstanding in his pole circle,
Best Overall and the “Slim” William
Wister Haines Award, which goes to the
most outstanding student in the class.
This particular class included more than
200 students.

CEC employees Peyton Garner, left, Jacob Qualls, center, and Clark Kilcrease, right,
all graduated from the Southeast Lineman Training Center in Trenton, Ga., last
December. This is a 15-week program where apprentice linemen begin their training
to become linemen. During the graduation ceremony in Trenton, Ga., Clark Kilcrease
was recognized with three awards.

LET’S

POWER
SAFETY

6 APRIL 2018

Be safe. Stay away
from downed power lines and
never touch anything in contact
with one. When you see a power
line down, call 911 immediately.
Covington Electric Cooperative
values your membership and
we value you.

www.alabamaliving.coop

| Covington Electric Cooperative |

Career fairs introduce students to a
wide variety of rewarding career paths

CEC crew leader Josh Till, left, interacts with students from Samson Middle School during the 2018 Southeast Worlds of Works
Career Experience in Dothan, Ala., on Feb. 21-22.

Covington Electric participates in many career fairs
each year for students ranging from elementary to middle
and high school. At the large career fairs, CEC hosts an
interactive power line display where students can learn
about technical careers in the utility industry. Students can
take part in hands-on activities simulating tasks performed
by linemen and engineering technicans.
CEC participated in the Next Step Career Expo in
January at the Kiwanis Community Center in Andalusia.
This expo featured many exhibits where representatives
from local businesses and agencies talked with students
about their careers and about the education and skills
required to perform their duties. Some exhibits provided
demonstration areas to give students more insight into the
daily responsiblities of many occupations. Adults discussed
what they enjoyed most about their jobs and talked about
the challenges they face. More than 800 students from
county and city schools in Covington County participated
Alabama Living

in the Next Step Career Expo.
In February, CEC joined several other representatives
from the utility industry as well as agriculture, automotive,
aviation, construction, healthcare, media and more, to
bring highly interactive career education exhibits to more
than 5,000 eighth graders at the third annual Southeast
Worlds of Works Career Expo in Dothan, Ala. Most of the
schools in CECâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s service area participated in this major
two-day event where students gain a broader understanding
of the careers available in their own communities.
CEC has also participated in career fairs at New Brockton
Elementary School, Kinston School, and Coppinville Junior
High School this year. CEC will participate in a career day
at Wiregrass Christian Academy on April 24.
Career fairs are extremely beneficial to young people and
may help some decide on future career paths. These events
show students there are many paths to rewarding careers
that may, or may not, require a four-year degree.
APRIL 2018â&#x20AC;&#x192; 7

| Covington Electric Cooperative |

CEC invites all cancer survivors to attend the Relay
For Life Survivor Reception in Andalusia on April 13
CEC will once again serve as the
Survivor Sponsor of the American
Cancer Society’s 2018 Relay For Life
of Covington County. It’s scheduled
for Friday, April 13 at the Kiwanis
Community Center in Andalusia.
Serving as a sponsor of local Relay
For Life events provides a meaningful way for CEC to demonstrate
its commitment to community. The
co-op not only provides financial
support to this important cause, but
several CEC employees volunteer
each year to organize a Relay team
and participate in the event. Last
year, CEC employees raised more
than $11,000 to help support the
fight against cancer.
As the Survivor Sponsor, CEC in8 APRIL 2018

vites all cancer survivors to attend a
special, free dinner that will be held
in their honor at this year’s Relay
For Life of Covington County. The
survivor reception will begin around
6:30 p.m., shortly after the opening
ceremony and survivor lap. Survivors should plan to be there early
to register before opening activities
begin.
If you know a cancer survivor,
please encourage them to attend this
enjoyable celebration of life. Anyone
interested in learning more about
Relay survivor activities, should
contact Kim Carter at 334-427-3515.
Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature
fund-raising activity. During the

Relay, team members take turns
walking around a track. Anyone can
attend the Relay and help celebrate
survivorship and share the spirit of
uniting in the fight against cancer.
Money raised from the event benefits vital cancer research, education,
advocacy and patient services.
CEC is also serving as a sponsor
of Relay For Life events in Crenshaw, Coffee and Geneva counties
this year. If you would like to learn
more about the ACS or Relay For
Life, please visit their website at
www.cancer.org.

www.alabamaliving.coop

April | Spotlight

Whereville, AL

Identify and place this Alabama landmark and you could
win $25! Winner is chosen at random from all correct entries.
Multiple entries from the same person will be disqualified.
Send your answer by April 9 with your name, address and
the name of your rural electric cooperative. The winner and
answer will be announced in the May issue.
Contribute your own photo for an upcoming issue! Send a
photo of an interesting or unusual landmark in Alabama,
which must be accessible to the public. A reader whose photo
is used will also win $25.

Event reminds drivers to be
safe around work zones
Those who work in
roadway construction
zones face dangers every
day they’re on the job, and
Alabama will continue to
support a national effort
to make drivers aware of
these dangers.
Alabama will again
participate in the National
Work Zone Awareness
Week, April 9-13. The
annual spring campaign
is traditionally held at
the start of the highway
construction season to
encourage safe driving.
In Alabama, the effort is coordinated by the Struck-By Alliance,
a voluntary group of businesses and agencies that have an interest in promoting safety along the state’s highways. The Alabama
Department of Transportation (ALDOT) takes a lead role in the
group; others involved include the Alabama Associated General
Contractors of America, Alabama Power Company and the Alabama Rural Electric Association, which publishes Alabama Living.
(Utility crews do much of their work on road rights-of-way.)
This year’s theme is “Work Zone Safety: Everybody’s Responsibility.” For more information, visit workzonesafety.org.

MARCH’S ANSWER
The tiny town of Mooresville in
Limestone County, population 58,
is home to the Old Brick Church of
Mooresville, completed in 1839,
according to the historical marker next to the church. A popular
wedding venue, its most interesting
feature may be the sculpture of a
hand pointing toward heaven atop
the steeple.
The property on which the church stands was donated
by Gov. Thomas Bibb and his wife, Parmelia, to be used for a
community church. The Cumberland Presbyterian denomination owned the building until the Methodists bought it
in 1898. It has also served as a Baptist mission. In 1994, the
United Methodist Church conducted a deconsecration service, and passed ownership to the town. (Photos submitted
by Cynthia Salyer, Central Alabama EC) The random guess
winner for March is Ted Thies of Arab EC.

Alabama Living

®

ALABAMA HISTORY
Honoring Our People

April 21, 1924

Ira Louvin of the Louvin Brothers country music duo was born
in Section, Alabama. Known for
their intricate harmonies and
excellent musicianship on the
mandolin and guitar, Ira and his
younger brother Charlie Louvin
produced some of the most
influential gospel and secular
music of the 1950s. Over a short
16-year career, the brothers
released ten top-20 Billboard
hits, including “I Don’t Believe
You’ve Met My Baby” and “The
Knoxville Girl.” The Louvin Brothers joined the Grand Ole Opry
in 1955 and were inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame
and the Country Music Hall of Fame.
encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1493
APRIL 2018 9

Al

| News you can use |
SOCIAL SECURITY

RURAL HEALTH

Connect with
Social Security
via automated
services

Stigma is an unnecessary barrier
to mental health care

E

very day thousands use it to do business with Social Security. We strive to
offer the kind of services that meet people’s needs. And sometimes you want
fast and direct answers over the phone.
We have that option.
You can call us toll free at 1-800-7721213. Our automated services are available 24 hours a day and include some
of the most popular services that people
need. With automated services, you can
request a benefit verification (proof of income) letter, replace a lost SSA-1099 (tax
summary needed for taxes), request a
replacement Medicare card, ask for form
SSA-1020 to apply for help with Medicare prescription drug costs, or request
an SS-5 application for a Social Security
card.
When our automated services ask such
things as, “How can I help you?” Just say,
“Get a proof of income letter” or “Replace
Medicare card.” Next, you will be asked
for some personal information to identify yourself, then we will respond to your
request. We will mail you the document
or form you requested. It takes less time
to use automated services than to reach
a representative by phone on a busy day.
Sometimes, you just need Social Security information such as, “What date
will my check arrive?” or “What is the SSI
program?” Automated services feature
messages about these popular topics. If
payment delivery date is the type of info
you need, when asked “How can I help
you?” just reply “Payment delivery date.”
You will hear a recorded message stating
the current month and the future month’s
payment dates. Other topics include direct deposit, SSI messages, the cost-ofliving adjustment, Medicare prescription
drug program, tax information, representative payee, and fraud. Dial, and listen —
what a simple way to stay informed.
To connect with us through our automated services, visit socialsecurity.gov/
agency/contact/phone.html.
Kylle’ McKinney, SSA Public Affairs
Specialist, can be reached by email at
kylle.mckinney@ssa.gov.

10 APRIL 2018

S

everal years back, I was conducting
a community health assessment of
a small, rural community in South Alabama to identify its greatest health issues
and needs. My first job after finishing college was with the Alabama Department
of Mental Health. Because of this experience, mental health care and needs have
always been of special concern to me.
As a part of this health assessment, I
visited the local outpatient mental health
center to meet with the clinical director
to discuss mental health-related issues,
trends, and needs in the community. I
was surprised when he refused to discuss
such general topics until I received permission from his supervisor. This experience started me thinking about the stigma
attached to certain mental health and other sensitive health conditions as a very real
barrier to health care.
Keeping health conditions and issues
in the closet is greatly contributing to establishing and increasing stigmas that are
actually creating barriers to health care.
The question must be asked: Could this
unnecessary stigma be a contributing factor in the horrible school violence in this
country? This director should have been
required to get out and speak with civic
organizations, churches, etc. to inform the
community about local mental health.
A large portion of our population does
not understand mental health. What
is depression? What are the symptoms
of depression? What is schizophrenia?
What treatments and other options are
available for persons with mental health
needs? Bringing such conditions out of

Generational Alabama Living
Whenever I read through the magazine, I really enjoy it. I like how Alabama
Living includes a wide variety of topics,
from current events to recipes to short

the closet and openly discussing them
may help identify many of the undiagnosed who need assistance. It may also
increase local awareness and concern to
the point of producing more local buy-in
and support for mental health care.
Such open and public conversation can
also remove much of the stigma associated with sensitive health conditions, like
mental health, HIV/AIDS, and drug abuse
or dependency. Open discussion can enable many sensitive health conditions to
become recognized as normal conditions
that involve normal people and for which
successful treatments are available.
Attempts are being made to care for
patients with more sensitive conditions
together with other general health care,
rather than having such care provided in
separate facilities. Seeing someone walking into a mental health clinic or a facility
dedicated to the treatment of other sensitive conditions would virtually be an
announcement that they have that condition. This integrative care model holds
promise in decreasing the stigma attached
to certain health conditions.
If you are a member of a civic organization, church, or other source that provides
programs, I encourage you to have programs on topics that can diminish the stigmas attached to sensitive health conditions
to enhance access to such health care.

stories. Occasionally, we have come
across a picture of, or a name of, someone
my family knows from the various places
we have lived in Alabama, and it makes
the state feel that much more homey and
familiar.
Seeing how Alabama Living involves
readers in the stories is also neat to me. I
am 18, and reading the stories of people
who have been on the earth longer than I
have really gives me a picture of how life
used to be in Alabama, and I really enjoy
that. Thank you for the work that you put
into the magazine!
Cara Brown, Troy
www.alabamaliving.coop

North Baldwin County, January 2018.
SUBMITTED BY Deborah Walters, Fairhope.
Horton Covered Bridge located off Highway 75 between Oneonta and
the town of Susan Moore. SUBMITTED BY Sheila Edwards, Cullman

Country road in Elberta. SUBMITTED BY Patti Pursley, Robertsdale.

Doug and Becky Martin, taken on County Road 832 in
Wadley. SUBMITTED BY Becky Martin, Wadley.

SUBMIT PHOTOS ONLINE: www.alabamaliving.coop/submit-photo/ or send color photos with a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Photos, Alabama Living, P.O. Box 244014 Montgomery, AL 36124
RULES: Alabama Living will pay $10 for photos that best match our theme of the month. Photos may also be published on our
website at www.alabamaliving.coop and on our Facebook page. Alabama Living is not responsible for lost or damaged photos.
Alabama Living

ould the days of black-tie weddings be numbered? Probably
of other places in the city, but they just didn’t seem to be the right
not, but the number of weddings hosted in more casual, rusfit. The farm was far more laid back, and that’s more our style. The
tic settings are certainly on the rise
farm had housing for our family to stay
in Alabama.
all week and have plenty of space, and
According to TheKnot.com, an online
there was a playground for the kids, too.
wedding resource, ranch or farm-style
All these things fit into our budget niceweddings have been on the rise since
ly, and it just felt like the right spot for
2012. Nuptials in the country can prous.”
All kinds of venues
vide a rustic and memorable event for
Alabama has a variety of locations
the bridal party and their family and
for couples looking for the perfect rural
friends, and Alabama has plenty of spacwedding spot.
es to host your special day with a counThe Hitching Post Farms is 30 acres
try flair.
of land in Eclectic, Ala., owned by DiLisa Woodham, owner of Woodham
ane and Robert Crosby. While it may not
Farms in Dothan, Ala., agreed that rural
have started off as the couple’s dream to
weddings have become much more pophost weddings on the property, now it’s
ular in recent years and is a trend that’s
truly a labor of love.
here to stay.
“A lot of our clients want that outside,
“Oh, absolutely! It’s more than just
rustic look for their wedding,” Diane
country chic, I think. These types of
Crosby says. “They want their wedding
wedding have a certain type of unmisto be different and special. We work very
takable charm and sweetness about
hard to make that happen for them. Evthem. We want people who come here
ery wedding is always something speto feel special.”
cial, not just for the couple, but for us,
Newlywed Christina Clark Okarmus
too. I feel like it’s my responsibility to
said she and her husband chose a Lee Christina and Matt Okarmus were married last fall at a
farm in Lee County. Christina says the relaxed setting
fulfill these dreams of these brides who
County farm for their outdoor wedding was a perfect fit for them.
come here and have been planning their
in September 2017 for several reasons,
PHOTO BY ROB SMITH, FLIPFLOPFOTO
weddings their entire lives. It’s an honor
but it was the laid back atmosphere that
to help fulfill those dreams for them.”
sealed the deal.
However, The Hitching Post Farms was almost lost before it be“It was a perfect fit for us,” Okarmus says. “We visited a couple

12 APRIL 2018

www.alabamaliving.coop

it back until he could restore the family’s
75-acre estate so he could carry on his family’s tradition of hosting weddings on the
property.
According to event coordinator Janet
Fortner, Stone Bridge Farms handles catering and flowers, as well as photography, for
their clients. There’s even a baker on staff,
although it’s not mandatory to use the staff
baker.
“Sometimes it’s just easier to do everything at one place. We would like the event
to be a one-stop-shop so it’s less stressful
for our clients,” Fortner says. “We have a
design team meeting with our brides on
day one, [so they can] get to know them
from three to four months out from the
wedding. Then we’re there with them to
help get them down the aisle as stress-free
as possible. Our goal is to make each event
as stress-less as possible.”
The outdoor space at Hitching Post Farms offers plenty of room for a reception.
PHOTO BY ALEX & DYLAN PHOTO AND VIDEO
Stone Bridge Farms, a customer of Cullman EC, offers lodging with five cabins and
three homes on property for rent to out-of-town guests. The locagan. The Crosbys had rented the property for a time before evention doesn’t host only weddings, but also corporate retreats, meettually purchasing it for themselves. Their dream was to build their
ings, birthday parties, showers and other events.
perfect home, but they decided to build a barn instead to use for
family camping events. Then tragedy struck.
Beyond the farm
“When the tornadoes came through in 2011, it took out our
If the rustic charm of a barn or farmland isn’t quite what you’re
home. So we started building on to the property to what we have
looking for, did you know there’s a vineyard in North Alabama at
now. It took 18 months to rebuild. Out of that destruction we were
the foothills of the Appalachian mountains?
able to make something very special and beautiful that we can
Wills Creek Vineyards and Winery in Attalla, Ala., is a working
share with others,” she says.
vineyard — and not what you might expect from an outdoor wedFor couples looking for an all-inclusive, but still farm-style locading venue.
tion, Stone Bridge Farms in Cullman, Ala., has been hosting wed“When I think of Napa Valley and I see pictures of weddings in
dings since 2010 and does more than 80 each year. It’s an old family
Napa, I’m reminded of our wedding space next to our vineyards
tradition that owner Ron Foust has been working to bring back to
where it’s lush and green — it’s just such a different setting than
life.
a rural barn setting,” says owner Janie Coppey. “Our location is
As a young boy, Foust remembers his grandfather, a minister
special because you can see the Appalachian foothills that run on
for more than 50 years in Cullman County, performing marriages,
the other side of the road, and depending on the focal point of the
baptisms and other ceremonies on the family property. Slowly over
photographer, some of those mountains will be in your photos. In
the years, parcels of the family land were sold. Foust began buying

the spring, summer and fall, everything is so colorful and makes a
beautiful setting for a wedding.”
Wills Creek Vineyards and Winery and the event space is two
miles away from the six-acre vineyard. The vineyard is a popular
destination for bridal showers, brunches, proms, class reunions
and other events, thanks to the location’s covered event space. With
an on-site coordinator to help pull details together, Coppey says
the goal is always to take as much stress off the client as possible.
“Brides, grooms and their families have enough stress, so we
want to take as much of that off
them to help make their day
as special and memorable as possible.
We want them
to enjoy their
day,
have
Tips for finding
b
e
a
u
t
i
ful
a rural wedding space
memories,
Ask questions. If you’re on a budget and
and enjoy
using an outdoor space, you should know up
the vinefront if there are set-up and cleaning fees, what
yard while
decorations are provided, and whether it’s mandatory
they’re
to use the venue’s caterer and florist.
h e r e ,”
Have an idea of how many guests plan to attend.
Coppey
Your quote will be based on this number.
says.
says.
Do your research. It’s fine if you haven’t settled on
your wedding style when you meet with your venue
representative, but your meeting will go much
better if you have some ideas. The venue will
most likely have an event planner on
staff to help you along in the
process.

PHOTO BY JANIE COPPEY

Kendra and Hunter Townson after their wedding at Stone Bridge Farms.
PHOTO BY SMITH SQUARED PHOTOGRAPHY

A panoramic view of Stone Bridge Farms.

14 APRIL 2018

The focal point of the reception at Kendra and Hunter Townson’s wedding
at Stone Bridge Farms.
PHOTO BY SMITH SQUARED PHOTOGRAPHY
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Alabama Living

APRIL 2018â&#x20AC;&#x192; 15

SONGS ABOUT

ALABAMA
AND THE STORIES BEHIND THEM

By Emmett Burnett

Missing home

Nashville recording artist Allison Moorer explains the
popularity of Alabama namesake songs: “The word sings
well. It flows,” she instructs and offers proof. “Try it. Say
‘Alaaaa Bamaaaa.’ See? It flows. You can’t do that with
Rhode Island.”
Raised in Washington County, the younger sister of
country star Shelby Lynne is well qualified to speak of
flowing words. Allison has written over 200 songs, released 7 albums and 11 singles, including “Alabama Song.”
From her debut album of the same name, the lyrics
speak of home “where the trees grow tall and green…
where the skies shine bright and blue…if you’re going,
I’m going with you.”
“I wrote it 20 years ago, a time when I was away from
home,” she recalls. “I felt a little marooned and was thinking how special it is returning to the Deep South.”

It came from outer space

We all love “Stars Fell on Alabama,” but beware. It has a
dark side. The tale of starry-eyed sweethearts was inspired
by a night of terror.
On Nov. 12, 1833, the greatest meteor sighting in recorded history ignited southern skies like a nuclear bomb.
There were estimates of 200,000 shooting stars per hour.
And on a clear moonless night, Alabama was Ground
Zero.
“In 1833 there was no news and no warnings,” notes
Bill Cooke of the Meteoroid Environment Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. “Terrified, many
thought it was the End Times.”
16 APRIL 2018

Frightened masses shivered under wagons and in shelters – impromptu shields from heaven’s wrath. A horrified cotton planter noted, “My God, the world is on fire.”
In 1934, Carl Carmer wrote a book of essays titled
“Stars Fell on Alabama,” acknowledging 1833’s spectacle.
Inspired by the book, music composer Frank Perkins
and lyricist Mitchell Parish realized the potential for
a song of the same name.
But how does one create music based on a stellar holocaust? Easy: Love conquers all, even flying
space rocks. Hence the lyrics:

“We lived our little drama
We kissed in a field of white
And Stars Fell On
Alabama Last night...”
“Little drama,” perhaps the biggest understatement in music history, alludes to the
fear-frozen night, when stars fell on Alabama.

Turn it up

The words “Sweet Home
Alabama” have been embossed on automobile
tags, served as an unofficial motto, and been
licensed by the State
Department of Tourism. And the Lynyrd
Skynyrd song that made
it popular? Wow.
“It has been used in
various facets, from political campaigns to countless
movies,” says Rachel Morris,
archivist and coordinator at

Illustration by Nalin Crocker

S

ongs of Alabama have enriched lives since the state
was a state of mind. But our songs in the heart, notes
in the head, and lyrics in memory are more than
meets the ear. How many tunes about the Heart of Dixie
can you name? (And by the way, “Heart of Dixie” is the
title of the 2013 debut single of country singer Danielle
Bradbery – though it isn’t actually about Alabama.)

the Center for Popular Music at Middle Tennessee State University. “It is perhaps the most recognized song about Alabama.”
Ironically, “Sweet Home Alabama” was written by two Floridians and a Californian, and recorded in Georgia. It is basically a
protest song of a protest song.
“Lynyrd Skynyrd responded to Neil Young’s ‘Southern Man’
and ‘Alabama,’ which dealt with racism and slavery in the American South,” notes Alabama Tourism Department publications
director Rick Harmon. But there was never a feud between the
band and the artist.
The lyrics cover a broad range of mid-1970s issues, including
Watergate, Gov. George Wallace, and prevailing music trends.
Many ponder the song’s famous first words, “turn it up.” Hidden message? Secret code? Buried treasure map? After years of
research, the true meaning of “turn it up” is revealed: Turn it up
means turn it up.
During recording, lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant asked
someone to increase the volume in his headphones. Unaware
the microphone was live, Van Zant’s request was immortalized.

That old college try

You don’t know Ethelred Lundy Sykes. But if you’ve ever
watched an Alabama football game, you know his work.
In the early 1920s, the Birmingham native competed for a
University of Alabama scholarship and lost. But Ethelred enrolled anyway, becoming active in student life and continuing
his unwavering passion for contests.
In 1926 he submitted an entry in the school’s Rammer-Jammer humor magazine’s quest for best new battle march. Sykes’
musical offering was a little ditty he called, “Yea Alabama!”
Perhaps you’ve heard it: “Yea Alabama! Drown ‘em Tide!
Every Bama Man’s Behind You, Hit your stride.” Yep, Ethelred
wrote that, and won $50.
“Yea Alabama!” became the University of Alabama fight
song, typically sung by a choir of 150,000 at the top of their
collective lungs at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The late Ethelred Lundy Sykes never wrote another song,
opting instead to join the military, where he served in the
U.S. Air Force Strategic Air Command, and retired as a brigadier general.

The ghost who sang “Your Cheating HearT”

Music is often described as hauntingly beautiful, but
“Midnight in Montgomery” is beautifully haunted.
With close to 3 million YouTube hits, the video rivals
the song in popularity. Lyrics unfold a story at Hank
Williams’ Oakwood Annex Cemetery gravesite. Singer
Alan Jackson, en route to a gig, steps off a Montgomery
bus to pay respects to country music’s king.
But the late Hank Williams is no longer late.
Jackson sees a ghost.
“I don’t know if the video and song increased
visits to Williams’ burial site,” says Oakwood’s
spokesman, Phillip Taunton. “People have
visited the grave almost daily since Williams
died (Jan. 1, 1953).” They often leave memen-

Visitors enjoy a tour of the Alabama
Music Hall of Fame in Tuscumbia.
PHOTO BY MARILYN JONES

In the mid-1860s, Tuscaloosa’s Julia S. Tutwiler, educator, humanitarian, and women’s rights advocate, completed her European studies and returned to Alabama. The state of the state left her
heartbroken.
Tutwiler felt we could do better. Documents provided by
Courtney Pinkard, reference archivist at the Alabama Department of Archives and History, noted Tutwiler’s thoughts: “Never
for a moment doubt the outcome of struggle if maintained with
courage and devotion to principle.”
Around 1868, she wrote a poem, which later became “Alabama,” a rallying cry set to music by Birmingham composer and
organist Edna Cockel-Gussen in 1917. It became our official song
by a vote of the Legislature on March 9, 1931.
Several attempts have been made to replace it. “It has an elementary school auditorium assembly feel to it, but you aren’t going to please everyone,” says Kevin Nutt, folk life archivist at the
Archives. “’Sweet Home Alabama’ was floated as a replacement.
Who can sing that?”
For now, Tutwiler’s classic rules. Each stanza ends with “Alabama, Alabama, We will aye be true to thee!” May it be said by us
all, in music, lyrics, and song.
APRIL 2018 17

labama may not be synonymous with fine art, but our museums are home to
some truly world-class collections and pieces. You can appreciate their beauty
or perhaps their emotional power; some offer glimpses into our history, telling us
about our culture and where we came from. Whatever the purpose, you can make
new discoveries with a short drive to one of Alabama’s fine art museums.
Birmingham Museum of Art

The museum has an impressive collection of more than 27,000
objects representing cultures from around the world including
Asian, European, American, African, Pre-Columbian and Native
American art. The museum also houses the largest collection of
Wedgwood ceramics in North America, and its holdings of Asian
art are the most extensive in the Southeast.
Katelyn Crawford, The William Cary Hulsey Curator of American Art, says one of her favorite exhibits in the American galleries is Magic City Realism: Richard Coe’s Birmingham, an exhibition featuring detailed etchings of Birmingham during The Great
Depression.
“In celebrating industrial Birmingham, Coe joined fellow Alabama artists in creating a body of American scene images of the
South,” says Crawford.
Admission is free; artsbma.org, (205) 254-2565.

Richard B. Coe, American 1904–1978, Down Town Birmingham, about 1935,
etching on paper.
PHOTO COURTESY BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM OF ART

18 APRIL 2018

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Jule Collins Smith Museum of
Fine Art, Auburn University

“We value all artwork in our collection,
not because of their individual monetary
value, but the value in what the piece can
teach us about the time and culture in
which it was made,” says Museum Director Marilyn Laufer.
“Our Advancing American Art collection … (was) acquired by the university
in 1948. Looking at those pieces, we get
a real sense of the issues and ideas that
concerned Americans during that World
War II period,” says Laufer. “It is amazing
to see how many of those concerns are still
prevalent today.”
The university often hosts special exhibitions. Audubon’s Last Wilderness Journey: The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North
America is currently on view with a comparison exhibition on the seldom reproduced four-footed mammals.
“We’ve exhibited Rubens and Rembrandt, prints by Edvard Munch and
sculptures by August Rodin. In our own
collection, we have works by such renowned artists as Georgia O’Keeffe, Rufino
Tamayo and Jacob Lawrence,” says Laufer,
reminding everyone that each “visit to the
museum will provide a new discovery.”
Admission is free; jcsm.auburn.edu.

“Like most art museums, we view our collection less in terms of
monetary value and more in terms of its place in the history of art,”
says Museum Director Deborah Velders. “We are most proud of our
community’s support … the vast majority of our collection of nearly 11,000 objects were gifts
from this community, as is
the financial support for the
majority of our exhibitions
and programs.
“We own artworks
and crafts by many of
the ‘canonical’ names in
the history of art, such
as Pierre-August Renoir,
Thomas Moran, Louis Comfort Tiffany glass,
Frederick Remington, Salvator Rosa, Robert Rauschenberg and many others,” Velders says.
“While our collection
is not comprehensive nor

represents fully ‘the history of art,’ it includes significant works
that help students and adults alike learn more of our world’s cultures through its art,” says Velders.
Admission is charged; mobilemuseumofart.com

With a collection of nearly
11,000 objects, guests can
spend hours enjoying the
many galleries of the Mobile
Museum of Art. PHOTO COURTESY

MOBILE MUSEUM OF ART

Alabama Living

APRIL 2018 19

Huntsville Museum of Art

According to Samantha Nielsen, director of communications,
the museum is extremely proud of its exhibit Buccellati: A Silver
Menagerie.
The silver creations were designed and fabricated in Milan,
Italy, by the luxury jewelry firm of Buccellati. Betty Grisham of
Huntsville donated the works of art to the museum.
“We have the world’s largest (Buccellati) public collection,”
Nielsen says. The artists combined Renaissance period techniques, luxury materials and the extensive use of texture engraving to create objects of great beauty.
Buccellati clientele included the Vatican as well as the Royal
Houses of Italy, Spain, Belgium, England and Egypt. Highlights
of the museum’s collection include a four-foot tall flamingo, a
reclining giraffe and a marine centerpiece consisting of Mediterranean Sea creatures arranged around a natural amethyst geode.
“The latest addition is a family of deer commissioned by the museum to honor Betty Grisham.”
One of the museum’s most famous pieces is Luigi Lucioni’s Ethel

Buccellati: A Silver
Menagerie features
a four-foot tall
flamingo and a
reclining giraffe.
PHOTO COURTESY
HUNTSVILLE MUSEUM
OF ART

Waters. “The official unveiling of the painting was held at the
museum on Feb. 1 during the opening celebration of African
American History Month,” Nielsen says. “This historical painting
was thought to be lost and hadn’t been seen by the public since
1942.”
Admission is charged; hsvmuseum.org.

Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts

The museum collections “feature primarily American art, and particularly that of the Southeast and Alabama,” says Senior Curator Margaret Lynne Ausfeld.
It has grown to represent 200 years of our country’s
history.
“One of the earliest works … in the American
paintings collection was made by an anonymous artist around the 1870s right here in Alabama and most
likely in Montgomery,” she says. It depicts Montgomery in “an earlier frontier era, most likely during the
very early 19th century when Alabama was a territory
or during early statehood.”
The museum also features William Merritt Chase
and Frank Duveneck. “Chase’s Woman in a Chinese
Robe is an excellent example of this artist’s skill as a
portraitist and still-life painter,” Ausfeld says. Other
outstanding works include Georgia O’Keeffe’s Hills
Before Taos and John Singer Sargent’s Mrs. Louis Raphael.
Other notable pieces include Mary Cassatt’s Francois in Green, Sewing and an example of 19th century
marble sculpture by Edmonia Lewis, Hiawatha’s Marriage.
“The museum’s best-known painting is by the
American 20th century painter Edward Hopper, New
York Office,” but Ausfeld stresses there are many collections in the museum as well as programs designed
to educate the public about art and this museum’s collection.
Admission is free; mmfa.org.

answered the phone one morning and heard someone who
sounded like our grandson, Edward, say, “Hi grandpa, it’s your
favorite grandson.” And that’s how the “grandparent scam” usually starts.
That jovial greeting is usually followed by a tale of woe. In this instance, Edward was supposedly in New York for a buddy’s bachelor
party. He had wrecked a rental car and been arrested for DUI.
Then comes the plea for money. He needed $8,000 to pay his fine
and to fix the car. “Please help me out, grandpa,” that’s followed by
another plea: “Please don’t tell my parents. I’ll explain it to them
when I get home.”
My response to the fake Edward: “You’re a fraud,” and I hung up
on him.
I knew that Ed wasn’t at a bachelor party in New York. He lives in
California, and is a 14-year old high school freshman.
What should you do if you get a phone call supposedly from one
of your grandchildren claiming to be in another state, or even a foreign country, and desperately needs several thousand dollars to get
out of a jam?
First, be careful. Our natural inclination is to jump in and help but that
could be the worst thing to do. Instead
of reacting quickly:
 Take a deep breath or two, relax
and be noncommittal
 Ask for a phone number where
you can later reach him/her
 Contact the supposed grandchild’s parents, siblings and others who would know if he or she
is away from home as claimed.
 If you know your grandchild’s
cell phone, call him/her and leave a voicemail if need be, or
text asking him/her to call you.
 Be wary if the caller doesn’t sound like your grandchild; ask
about it. Scammers usually will say it’s a bad connection or
he/she has a cold or make some other vague explanation for
their odd sounding voice.

Typically, grandparents are asked to wire the money to some out
of state or out of the country location. Sometimes grandparents are
told to buy several thousand dollars in prepaid debit cards and then
phone the “grandchild” with the scratch-off numbers on the back of
the cards. They can then use those numbers to get the money.
According to the National Council on Aging, the grandparent
scam is successful because it is so simple, and devious, and it uses
one of older adults’ most reliable assets – their hearts.
22 APRIL 2018

Older people are often easy targets for such cons, according to the
AARP, because:
 They’re more likely to be home during the day
 They expect people to be honest
 They are less likely to act when defrauded.
Further, the National Council on Aging estimated that senior citizens are robbed of about $3 billion annually via various financial
scams.
Scamming grandparents can be lucrative for well-practiced criminals. Especially since the odds of being caught and prosecuted are
slim.
One incarcerated scammer told journalist Carter Evans: “You can
make $10,000 … in a day if you do it properly. Once you get them
emotionally involved, then they’ll do anything for you, basically.”
“The effect (of the scam) on the victims is so great. It’s not simply
the loss of the money. They feel stupid, they feel gullible, and they
have nightmares about it and anxiety and depression,” says former
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellyn Lindsey,
who successfully prosecuted the scammer that Carter Evans interviewed.
There are also email versions of this
swindle. You receive an email supposedly from a friend who is in a foreign
country, and has been robbed and needs
money to pay for a new passport, his/her
hotel and airfare home. I received such
an email from my friend Connie, who
said she was stuck in London. I knew it
was a scam since Connie had died six
months before the email arrived.
Recently, my wife received an email
plea for help from a nun she knows who was ostensibly stranded in
the Philippines. She called the nun’s cell phone and learned she was
not stranded in the Philippines or anywhere else. She told Donna
she had received numerous calls from people concerned about her
well-being.
If a supposed grandchild, relative or friend either calls or emails
and claims to be in dire need of money, after having had some devastating experience in either another state or a foreign country, fight
the urge to react quickly to the request. Take the time to verify his
or her story. It might truly be someone in need of help, but the call
or email is more likely just an attempt to separate you from your
money.
Lastly, when you receive a call from a number you don’t recognize, let your voicemail answer the call. Scammers don’t usually
leave messages.
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Alabama Living

APRIL 2018â&#x20AC;&#x192; 23

Sweet surprise

| Worth the drive |

Union Springs cook bakes up
an unplanned success
Story and photos by Jennifer Kornegay

S

ome say anything tastes better served
on fine china and scooped up with a
silver fork or spoon. At FPH Bakery in
downtown Union Springs, you’ll find both
fancy flatware and elegant plates in use,
but the cakes, pies, soups, sandwiches and
salads served here don’t need the aesthetic
boost.
Judging by the packed dining room and
a bakery counter that almost empties every
day, owner and baker Amber Anderson
could probably send out her kitchen creations on paper towels, and folks would still
rave.
Anderson opened French Pressed Home
(FPH) Bakery in February 2017, and its
quick rise to success came as a sweet surprise, especially since owning a bakery and
café was never really in her plans. Always
interested in cooking, she taught herself to
bake and a few years ago, made a few cakes
at a friend’s request. The friend liked them
and spread the word.
Soon, Anderson was taking orders for her
cakes weekly and then moved into wedding
cakes. Demand for her desserts ballooned
into more than she could handle, and with
twin boys also in need of her time, she was
close to calling it quits. “I realized I had to
expand or fold,” she says. “So I grew and
opened the bakery.”
She’s been thrilled by the support of her
community, a hometown she and her family
adopted only a few years ago. “The people
here have been so great,” she says. “I knew
they would be. I fell in love with this area
and its people the first time I came.”
Born, raised and living in San Diego,
Calif., until 2013, Anderson and her family
made their way South after the recession in
2008 decimated her husband’s contracting
business and left them looking for a fresh
start. “I didn’t know where we wanted to go,
but I knew it was time to leave California,”
she says. “I never really thought about the
South, but I was looking at houses all over
online, and the affordability of properties
24 APRIL 2018

down here piqued my interest.”
At the time, Anderson was running a
vintage goods business and blogging about
it (her blog’s name was French Pressed
Home) while dreaming of running a bed
and breakfast, and a historic house in
Union Springs caught her eye. “I
came down to look at the house,
and I liked it, but I also liked the
town,” she says.
She didn’t get that first house
and realized it wasn’t the right
time for her to pursue a B&B,
but she and her husband were
still smitten with Union
Springs, so they stayed
(and bought a new
house in

(Right) Chocolate-drizzled Napoleons are ready
for customers;
(Below, top to bottom) FPH Bakery is located
in a renovated downtown building that housed
Holmes Café for 55 years; Kacee Green holds a
chocolate cake with chocolate ganache icing;
FPH’s chicken salad is made with pecans, grapes,
celery, poppy seeds and steak seasoning.

the old town). The move shocks some.
all things French, baking is associated with
“People ask me all the time about how
France, and I do want this place to feel like a
different it must be here compared to San
home, to be comfortable,” she says.
Diego, but it’s really not,” she says. “The San
Friendly staff, Anderson included, roll
Diego I grew up in in the 1970s had this real
out the welcome, and exposed brick lit by
neighborhood feel and culture, kinda like a
glittering chandeliers provides some oldsmall town. That’s not how it is today, but
world flair. The china and silver are charmthat’s how it was for a lot of my time there.”
ing but not pretentious: All mismatched,
Union Springs’ leisurely pace and genuine
they’re from the collection Anderson
people reminded her of that childhood and
amassed in her previous business. Delights
instantly pulled her in.
like cakes topped with bright berries and
Now, she’s bringing others to the town.
delicate napoleons glistening with drizzled
Lunchtime at FPH stays busy; locals come
chocolate perch on pedestals of varying
in for a box lunch (a sandwich, chips and
heights on a worn wooden counter, “icing”
choice of dessert) or maybe a bowl of chili
on the spot’s appeal and hospitality.
or chicken and rice soup with a cup of cofThe vibe is all Anderson, but she’s also
fee. Early afternoon sees a steady stream
embracing the property’s past. “It was a
of people sating a sugar fix, getting a sweet
restaurant called Holmes Cafe, run by two
snack or an entire cake or pie to go.
brothers, for 55 years, and there were a lot
Others drive over from Montgomery,
of happy eating memories made here,” AnAuburn and Troy. Many come for a bite of
derson says. She’s hoping to continue the
her claim to fame: salted caramel cake, her
legacy.
riff on a Southern
She’s also hoping
staple that eschews
her presence downThink your dietary restrictions town helps other
the
traditional
cooked icing for mean FPH Bakery is off limits? businesses and enrich buttercream Maybe not! Anderson often courages new ones
with her homemade
to locate in the city’s
“secret recipe” car- whips up a couple of gluten- center too. “I love
amel (with a hint free and sugar-free baked good this place and want
of salt) stirred in. options for those who can’t to do all I can to
“The usual caramel
promote this comicing down here is indulge in the others.
munity and be a
actually hard to get
part of the positive
right,” she says. “I decided not to even try
change already happening,” she says. “It’s exand compete with everybody’s Nana.”
citing to see new business open in this area.”
And while Anderson’s baked goods – butShe’s equally excited by her first year’s
tery croissants, fudgy brownies, fancifully
accomplishments and looking forward to
festooned cupcakes, cookies, pies and more
a prosperous 2018, but putting satisfied
– take the front seat, driving a lot of the baksmiles on her customer’s faces is the sweet
ery’s traffic, a savory dish is not far behind
reward that turns her lips up. “This is hard
in popularity. Whether it’s between two
work, but it’s really fun too, and for me, it’s
pieces of bread or mounded on the aforenot about making a ton of money,” she says.
mentioned pretty plates with pickles and
“It’s about making people leave here happier
crackers on the side, FPH’s chicken salad is
than they were when they came in.”
giving the pastries and other confections a
run for their money. Combining both fine,
While you’re there
soft shreds and meatier chunks of roasted
The town of Union Springs is a popular day
chicken, sliced red grapes, chopped pecans,
trip for groups. If you visit, be sure to check
pureed celery, a dash of steak seasoning and
out the Josephine Art Center, 126 Prairie St.
poppy seeds with a just enough silky mayo
N., where you can visit the local historical
to hold things together, it’s creamy, crunchy,
museum, view Alabama artwork, create your
tart, peppery and salty all at once.
own work of art, host a private party, book
Housed in an old building on the edge of
an historic tour of Bullock County, or even
downtown that Anderson’s husband Bruce
check out a ghost tour! More at artatjosecarefully renovated, FPH has a convivial
phine.com, email promiseland@ustconline.
atmosphere that’s a draw too. She used her
net or (334)703-0098.
blog’s name for the bakery, and it fits. “I love
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Alabama Living

APRIL 2018â&#x20AC;&#x192; 27

Alabama motorists can now choose a license plate
design that commemorates the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bicentennial.

For more information, call your local tag office or visit our website at www.Alabama200.org

28 APRIL 2018

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April | Around Alabama

3-14

Photo courtesy of the Piney Woods Arts Festival.

Sylacauga, Sylacauga’s ninth annual “Magic
of Marble” Festival showcasing Sylacauga’s
beautiful white marble will feature sculptors
in action at the city’s Blue Bell Park. Visiting
Italian master sculptor will teach on site and
conduct a symposium for visiting sculptors at
the Comer Library. Tours offered to the marble
quarries that manufacture calcium carbonate
and those that lift dimensional stone. Marble
sculptures from seven previous festivals and
marble products will be on display at the Comer Library, and the Gantts/IMERYS Observation
Point overlooking an historic quarry will be
open to the public. Festival activities are free.
For more information, visit www.bbcomerlibrary.net/marblefestival or call Ted Spears,
256-267-6655.

7

Enterprise, 3rd Annual Mitchell Automotive Chick-Fil-A 5K and 1-mile fun
run at Enterprise High School to benefit WinShape Summer Camp scholarships. Register at
itsyourrace.com. $25 for 5K, $15 for 1-mile fun
run. 5K begins at 8 a.m. Registration includes
t-shirt and family fun zone activities. See the
Enterprise CFA Facebook page for more information.

7

Millbrook, Hike some of Lanark’s 5
miles of trails with an experienced ANC
naturalist during the Tour of Lanark Hike. Activities are from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., but guests are
encouraged to arrive by 10 a.m. to enjoy all
the activities. For times and more information,
visit alabamawildlife.org.

Enterprise,
Piney Woods Arts Festival at
Enterprise State Community College. 9 a.m.5 p.m. Saturday and 12-4 p.m. Sunday. The
44th annual Piney Woods Arts Festival is one
of the oldest juried arts and craft shows in the
area. Featuring original works by 100 artists,
a children’s fun center, food and entertainment. Special events include a Civil War living
display and Weevil City Cruisers Car and Truck
Show. Free. Coffeecountyartsalliance.com

13-May 19

Monroeville,
“To Kill a Mockingbird” at the Monroe County Heritage Museum, 31 N. Alabama Ave.
The Mockingbird Company presents “To Kill
a Mockingbird.” The play features two acts at
the old courthouse. For show times and ticket
information, visit tokillamockingbird.com.

More than 100 artists will be featured at the Piney Woods Arts Festival April 7-8 in Enterprise.

Demopolis, Rooster Day,
sponsored by the Marengo County
Historical Society. 9 a.m.-11 p.m. This event
celebrates the rooster auction of 1919, which
raised funds to build a bridge over the Tombigbee River connecting Marengo and Sumter
counties. Cock’s Crow 5K; arts, crafts and food
at the Rooster Fair in public square; live entertainment; and kids’ activities. Free; the rooster
auction at Lyon Hall is $20.
Roosterdaydemopolis.com

Fairhope, Bald Eagle Bash. This
annual fundraiser for the Weeks
Bay Foundation is held at the waterfront
Tonsmeire Weeks Bay Resource Center on U.S.
Highway 98. Enjoy fresh shrimp prepared by
top local restaurants and live music. 4-7 p.m.
$40 in advance, $45 at the gate, free for children 10 and under. BaldEagleBash.com or
251-990-5004.

Hokes Bluff,
3rd Annual “Booking it Through the
Bluff ” Triathlon. 22.6-mile bike ride through
Eastern Etowah County ending at the Hokes
Bluff Ferry, 3 mile Coosa River Adventure and
4.5 mile run through Hokes Bluff, ending at
the Hokes Bluff Community Center. Compete
in each event or put a team of three together
to compete. Kayaks available for rent on race
day. Must have your own bike. Register at
foundation@hokesblufflibrary.org or call
Alex Sims at 256-492-9846.

Montgomery, A former Auburn football player, a death row
exoneree, a coloring book designer and an
award-winning food blogger are part of the
diverse lineup for the 2018 Alabama Book
Festival. They join a long list of best-selling
authors taking part in the annual event at
Montgomery’s historic Old Alabama Town
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Books by festival authors
will be available for purchase and authors will
be signing their books following their presentations. alabamabookfestival.org.

To place an event, e-mail events@alabamaliving.coop. or visit www.alabamaliving.coop. You can also mail to Events
Calendar, P.O. Box 244014, Montgomery, AL 36124; Each submission must include a contact name and phone number.
Deadline is two months prior to issue date. We regret that we cannot publish every event due to space limitations.

Alabama Living

21

Geneva, Festival
on the Rivers, Robert
Fowler Memorial Park. This family festival features arts and crafts, specialty items and food
vendors; entertainment at food court begins
at 9 a.m. Saturday, with a parade at 5:30 p.m.
GenevaRiverFestival.com

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Twitter @Alabama_Living

APRIL 2018 29

Al

| Gardens |

Spring planting time:

Picking the perfect plants
I
f, like me, you’re looking forward to
home-grown summer vegetables, herbs
and flowers, it’s time to get planting.
Those of you who thought ahead and
started seeds inside or in a cold frame or
greenhouse already have a great source of
plant material ready to go in the ground.
But don’t forget to harden them off first.
“Hardening off ” is a process that
gradually transitions young, tender plants from their sheltered
indoor life to the more extreme
world of the great outdoors.
Start the process by putting
seedlings outside during the day
in a shaded, protected area for a
couple of hours, then bring them
back inside. Gradually lengthen
the amount of time they spend
outside and the amount of sun
exposure they receive on each
consecutive day and, in about a
week, they should be ready to go
out into the world. (The length
of time for hardening off varies
depending on weather conditions and plant type, so check seed packages for recommendations.)
If you haven’t thought ahead, though,
transplants (ready-to-plant seedlings)
are abundantly available at retail outlets throughout the state, and they make
growing all kinds of annual plants pretty
darn easy, especially if you follow these
tips.
• Pick smaller plants. Avoid extra-large
plants and look for smaller, more
compact plants that are about as wide
as they are tall. Beware of plants that
are overcrowded. If there are several
plants in a single pot or seedling cell,
it may seem like you’re getting more
plants for your money, but they may
be less healthy or stunted.
• Pick quality plants. Buy only healthy
plants that exhibit good color in their
leaves and stems and show no signs of
Katie Jackson is a freelance
writer and editor based in
Opelika, Alabama. Contact her at
katielamarjackson@gmail.com.

30 APRIL 2018

yellowing, wilting or damage. Make
sure their growing media is moist and
the transplants are not root-bound.
Try to avoid buying vegetable, fruit or
herb plants that are already flowering,
and look for flowering plants that have
buds, not blossoms, so you’ll ensure a
longer blooming period.

• Plant quickly. Try to avoid buying
transplants more than two days before
planting. If you have to wait longer
than that to get them in the ground,
store them in a warm, sunny, but protected spot and keep them well watered.
• Plant properly. Gently remove transplants from their containers so you
don’t damage their tops or roots, and
plant them deep enough so the soil
can support them as their root systems
develop. Water them well immediately after planting, and water them frequently for several days after planting.
Hold off on applying fertilizer, which
can burn tender leaves and stimulate excessive foliage growth. Mulch
around the plants to keep moisture
near their roots and suppress weeds.
When buying transplants, quality is
important, and one way to ensure good
quality plants is to buy “local.” Look for
plants that were produced in Alabama or
the Southeast — that means they didn’t
have far to travel to get to your garden, so
they should be less stressed. If the source

of the plant is not listed on the label, ask
the store’s staff or manager where they
came from.
In addition to transplants, many annual seeds can now be sown directly into
the garden. If you collected seed from
last year’s plants or know a gardener who
is willing to share ones they collected,
that’s ideal. But if you need to
buy seed, go for quality. A great
source of fresh seed — and seed
that is tried-and-true in your
area — is a store that sells bulk,
loose seed (farmer cooperatives
and feed-and-seed stores, for example).
If you can’t find the seed or
plants you’re looking for at a
local store, catalogues provide
exceptional choices, especially
for less common selections such
as non-GMO, organic, heirloom
or newly released varieties and
cultivars. Just make sure you’re
ordering from a reputable company by checking consumer reviews and reviewing their guarantee and
return policies.
Oh, and if in your excitement you overbuy seeds or transplants, don’t toss them
out. Donate them to a community or
school garden and share the wealth. That
way you and others can look forward to all
kinds of gardening rewards in the months
to come.

ooking for your travel to take flight
this year? Become a birder and enjoy
all kinds of new places to visit while
adding bird species to your list and enjoying
time spent wherever this activity takes you.
Birdwatching is rising in popularity
in the United States and throughout the
world. Anyone can do it, whether you live
in the city, the suburbs or the country. You
can set up your own feeders in your own
backyard and keep a list of the species that
visit you. Or, if you love to travel and you
enjoy birdwatching, you can visit wilderness refuges, travel to bird festivals, and
take guided tours of bird habitats anywhere
in the world.

Backyard birdwatching

It’s great to start bird watching by simply looking out your window and seeing
the birds that congregate in your yard or
on your patio. Is that a bluebird? What
type of bluebird? An eastern, western, or
mountain bluebird? You can go old school
by checking a field guide like Peterson’s or
Sibley’s or you can look up bluebirds on
http://allaboutbirds.org (Cornell Lab of
Ornithology). Check the range map and
see which is common in your region. Look
at the markings and distinctive features.
Many birds show enough variation to make
an ID with ease. The All About Birds website also contains recordings of each bird’s
song so identification can also be made by
the birdsong.
Going high-tech with your identification
tools can make it easier to take them along
when you travel. Download the Merlin
Bird ID app (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
to your cell phone. The app asks five questions to help identify a bird. It then pulls
up bird photos matching the description
that have been seen in your region. Or,
take a photo of the bird, upload it
to Merlin and it will identify the
bird for you.
Those who catch birdwatching fever often keep a list of the birds they have seen
or heard. A life list consists of all of the bird
species seen in your lifetime while a yearly
list tics off every bird species seen in a year.
A list can be kept in a simple notebook, in
32 APRIL 2018

a special birding notebook, or it can be a
simple notation of date and place beside
the picture in a guide book. Computer list
options include Birder’s Diary software,
which also allows photos, or use the eBird
mobile app for cell phones, which uses GPS
coordinates for bird species sightings.
As you become familiar with the birds
in your backyard, you will be able to recognize when a bird not common to your area
appears. When you see a rare bird, you can
report it through eBird or the American
Birding Society so other birders can visit
your backyard and add it to their lists.

Local birding

If birdwatching has captured your attention and your curiosity has grown beyond
the birds showing up in your backyard,
then what? It’s time for some birding excursions.
First, call someone you know who is
a birdwatcher. Don’t know anyone? Start
asking around. You might be surprised
by which of your friends are birders. Ask
at your library about birdwatching clubs
or search the internet for local and state
birding clubs and chapters of the Audubon
Society for programs, events and field trips.
You can go out on your own, but it’s helpful
to have someone teach you how to locate
and identify the birds. Grab your binoculars, camera and cell phone and head to the
wilderness or city park.
One way to learn from an experienced
watcher is to join the Audubon Society’s
annual Christmas Bird Count, which allows beginner birders to take part.
Participants count every bird
seen or heard in a 15-mile diameter designated circle
over a 24hour period of time
between
Dec. 14
and
A pair of tree swallows get
into a tiff in a backyard tree.
PHOTO BY KEN CHRISTISON

Jan. 5. The count acts as an annual census
of birds across the world.

Travel birding

Your interest in birds has been piqued
and now you’d like to see species of birds
that are not local to your area. It’s time to
travel! You can either travel to see birds in
a certain locale or go on vacation and see
what interesting birds are in your planned
location. Once again, the internet can help
you identify places to see birds. There are
more than 562 National Wildlife Refuges
and 38 wetland management districts in
the United States. Visit the www.fws.gov/
refuges website for locations and information. There are also 10,234 state parks and
58 national parks, giving you plenty of opportunity to travel and find birds.
At least 38 states have American Birding
Association Birding Trails. A designated
Birding Trail system links wildlife refuges,
state parks and national parks in a state,
along with noted habitats found along the
route. The trails may be hiking trails or
highways to drive. Information on state
birding trails can be found on the internet.
The World Birding Center in the Lower
Rio Grande Valley in Texas features nine
locations with more than 500 species of
birds at the convergence of two major migration flyways. Bird festivals are another
great way to see specific birds and take part
in workshops and tours. Many festivals coincide with migration to see the greatest
number of species in a set place.

Competitive birding

You’ve learned to identify birds, enjoy
the challenge and you’re ready to dive further into birding, perhaps on a competitive
level. There are various events for all ages
sponsored by bird organizations. Join The
Big Sit! hosted by Bird Watcher’s Digest
— 24 hours of sitting in a 17-foot diameter circle with a team counting every
birds species seen.
“Big Day” events or birdathons are
sponsored by bird associations and often
raise pledges for their societies and conservation by counting how many species of
birds can be seen in 24 hours. They can be
www.alabamaliving.coop

Alabama Living

APRIL 2018â&#x20AC;&#x192; 33

done individually or in teams. The Global
Big Day is sponsored by eBird and on May
13, 2017, almost 20,000 birders from 150
countries turned in 50,000 checklists with
6,564 species of birds spotted in one day.
That is more than 60 percent of all of the
species of birds in the world.
Stretching that day to a year, The Big
Year is the ultimate challenge in birding.
It is a competition to see who can see the
most birds in one year in a specific geographical area.
A little curiosity and a greater awareness
of birds can take you in many directions.
Travel, see the country, see the world, and
see the birds as you go! Maybe a Big Year is
in your future.
Gayle Gresham writes from her electricco-op powered home in Elbert, Colorado.
She now has Merlin Bird ID on her phone
and is ready to go watch some birds.

Alabama’s trails offer an abundance
of bird-watching locations
Alabama has an abundance of bird species – 430 at last count – to watch, from
the Tennessee border to the Gulf Coast.
The Alabama Birding Trails is a system
of eight trails highlighting the best public
locations available to watch birds yearround. According to its website, alabamabirdingtrails.com, our state provides
a critical habitat for hundreds of bird
species, from the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker to the now flourishing
bald eagle.
As interest in wildlife observation
grows, more people want to explore
our amazing biodiversity, which makes
Alabama second only to Florida in the
Eastern U.S. in total number of species of
plants and animals.
The eight Alabama Birding Trails unify
existing and potential birding sites into
a series of cohesive trails and loops that
are collectively marketed as part of a
statewide system. Many of the sites along
the various trails are already being used
by thousands of birders and other visitors
annually.
The Alabama Birding Trails program
recently announced the addition of 10
new birding trail sites, bringing the total
number of locations to 280 in 65 counties.
Two of the new sites are on Forever

Wild properties: the Wehle Forever Wild
Tract near Midway, and the Yates Lake
Forever Wild Tract near Tallassee.
The eight other sites are: Heflin’s
Cahulga Creek Park; Coosa County’s Flagg
Mountain, near Weogufka; the Lee County
Public Fishing Lake, near Opelika; the
Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve
and Nature Center, in Auburn; Minooka
Park, in Jemison; the Moss Rock Preserve,
in Hoover; Shades Creek Greenway, in
Homewood; and the Smith Mountain Fire
Tower, near Dadeville.
Alabama’s Birding Trails offer the public
a chain of eight geographic regions: North
Alabama, West Alabama, Appalachian
Highlands, Piedmont Plateau, Black
Belt Nature and Heritage, Pineywoods,
Wiregrass, and Alabama Coastal Birding
Trail. Specific information on each region
is available at the alabamabirdingtrails.
com website.
This project is a collaborative effort by
the Alabama Tourism Department, University of Alabama Center for Economic
Development, Alabama Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources, Birmingham Audubon Society, chambers of
commerce across the state, the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, the National Forest
Service and others.

A killdeer, which often performs a “broken
wing” routine to draw a predator away
PHOTO BY KEN CHRISTISON

Red-tailed hawk watches a squirrel
PHOTO BY DAVID MORRIS ON UNSPLASH

White egret near San Francisco Bay

Brown-headed nuthatch in Alabama
PHOTO BY MARK LANGSTON

PHOTO BY ALFRED LEUNG ON UNSPLASH

34 APRIL 2018

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Alabama Living

APRIL 2018â&#x20AC;&#x192; 35

| Alabama People |

Jordan Fisher

Singer, actor, dancer … doing it all
Alabama’s Jordan Fisher came to national TV prominence in November when he won the 25th season of “Dancing With the Stars”
with his professional dancing partner, Lindsay Arnold. But some
fans may not realize that Fisher has been acting, dancing and singing more than half his life.
Born and raised in Birmingham, Fisher caught the performing
bug early. His fifth-grade crush asked him to join the drama club
with her, and he started acting, singing and dancing that first day.
That summer, he joined the Red Mountain Theatre Company, one
of the South’s premier fine arts education centers. He went from his
first school play to community theater to regional theater to joining
a professional theater company in a short amount of time.
He wants to do it all – music, theater, as well as acting. He released an EP of pop-soul-R&B music in
August 2016, and was featured on the soundtrack
of the Disney hit “Moana.” He’s set to release a
full album of R&B music this year.
He’s had recurring roles on multiple TV series, including “The Secret Life of the American
Teenager,” and of course the big win on DWTS.
He made his Broadway debut in the megahit
“Hamilton,” playing the roles of John Laurens/
Phillip Hamilton.
And he turns 24 in April.
– Allison Law
You were born and raised in Alabama. Talk about your
upbringing here.
It’s kind of incredible, when I say that I’m from Alabama. I don’t really have much of an accent, and
people are like, for real? ...
I can’t think of a better place to spend
the majority of my childhood. Standards and morals and all of these
things, growing up in the South,
that’s something in my opinion
that’s priceless. Very proud
to be an Alabamian and very
proud to have spent a majority of my childhood there. (As
a teenager, he traveled back
and forth between Alabama
and Los Angeles for four
years before moving to LA
permanently.)
How quickly time
passes. Growing up such
a fan of sports and people and a love for my
family and all of these
things, I feel like the
root of all of that started with my environment growing up, and
that’s Birmingham, and
I couldn’t be more proud
of the growth of that city.

You acted in the Broadway smash “Hamilton” (from November
2016 through March 2017). Talk about that.
I love it, I miss it to death. It’s kind of hard, when you want to
do everything, which is what I do. I wear all the hats, and do TV
and film and Broadway, and I’m a recording artist and a writer
and a producer and an author, it’s hard to just be able to do one
thing for a long period of time. You kind of have to alternate all
these things. Eventually, the end goal is that I can pick and choose
whatever I want, whenever I want, and right now it’s a matter of
having to continue to strike while the iron is hot, which keeps
me super busy. It keeps me constantly honing and learning and
building my craft and my world as an artist. That will eventually
get me back to Broadway, the same way it will always take me
back to TV and film and music and touring. But Broadway, I love it just a little bit more than everything else.
I have to ask about “Dancing With the Stars.” How
was that experience?
Unbelievable. I learned a lot about myself, and
Lindsay, she cracked the whip in all the right ways.
It resulted in an amazing friendship. Really more
of a family. That’s my favorite memory, taking
away from all of this, is the family I got to build
on that show, with Lindsay, with the other pros on
the show. … We really put in a lot of time and energy and effort, and I’m just very grateful that America
saw that and put in the votes.
Do you get back to Alabama very often?
I get back more frequently now. Ellie
Woods is the love of my life. We
actually grew up together at the
Red Mountain Theatre
Company. She is in
school for clinical dietetics at the University of Alabama. We
see each other every
three weeks. That’s
the bottom line,
period, the end.
Whether I go to
Birmingham quietly and spend time
with her in Tuscaloosa, or she comes
to LA or meets me
in whatever city
I’m in, we see each
other every three
weeks. When you
make the choice
and you make the
commitment, you
make it work, period. We make it
work.
work.
PHOTO BY ANDREW ROSE

36 APRIL 2018

www.alabamaliving.coop

Alabama Living

APRIL 2018â&#x20AC;&#x192; 37

| Consumer Wise |

Aim for quality when managing
a renovation contractor
By Pat Keegan and Brad Thiessen

Q:

We followed your advice last month and hired a contractor
we think will give us an energy efficient renovation. How
do we manage the job to make sure the project turns out right?

A:

Last month, I offered tips on how to hire a good contractor,
but it’s smart to realize that after the hiring is complete, contractors need to be managed.
First, you should decide who will be the main contact with your
contractor. Clear communication is critical because a renovation
that includes energy efficiency improvements comes with extra
challenges. A single point of contact will help avoid confusion, conflicts and cost overruns.
Before the work starts, have a discussion with your contractor
about quality. You want the contractor to know you’ll be carefully
overseeing the work and that there may be others involved in this
oversight, such as building inspectors, your electric cooperative or
an independent energy auditor. You can discuss the standards of a
professional, high-quality job. And you can agree on the points at
which the contractor will pause so you or someone you designate
can review the work. At a minimum, an inspection should take
place before you make an interim payment.
Here are a few examples of interim review points:
• The building envelope should be properly sealed before insulation is installed because air leaks increase energy use and reduce comfort.
• Replacement windows should be properly flashed and sealed
before siding and trim are installed, which prevents moisture
problems and air leaks.
• Some insulation measures can be inspected before they are
sealed up behind walls or ceilings.
• Almost all efficiency measures require some kind of final inspection. For example, infrared thermometers can show voids in
blown insulation, and fiberglass batts can be visually inspected to
ensure there are no air gaps and the batts are not compressed.
HVAC measures require special attention. Nearly half of all
HVAC systems are not installed correctly, which often causes uneven temperature distribution throughout the home, along with
higher energy bills. ENERGYSTAR® has a special program to ensure quality HVAC installation. Forced air systems typically have
poorly balanced supply and return air delivery that can often be
improved. Air flow can be measured at each register, and a duct
blaster test can identify and quantify duct leakage.
When you review the work, it may be helpful to take photos or
to bring in an energy auditor. Be sure to have these inspections outlined in the contract and discussed beforehand so the contractor is
comfortable.

It will be tempting to add “just one more thing” along the way,
and the contractor may agree a change is simple and possible within the timeframes. Contractors and customers often miscommunicate about change orders and end up disagreeing about a additional
costs when the project is completed. Before you make any changes,
be sure to get a written cost quote. If it’s significant, you can then
weigh the cost against the benefit of the change.
It’s a good idea to maintain good records as the project progresses. These records could be helpful for building inspectors or to
qualify for rebates or tax credits.
When the renovation is complete, it may be tempting to sign the
check, shake hands and breathe a sigh of relief that it’s all over. Depending on the size and complexity of the project, it may be worth
the extra step of having a final audit by a licensed energy auditor.
My neighbors were saved from a home renovation disaster when
an energy audit discovered the energy efficiency contractor had
failed to produce the promised efficiencies. The contractor had to
perform thousands of dollars’ worth of improvements to fulfill the
contract before my neighbors made the final payment.
Once you confirm that the work is 100 percent complete, you can
write a check for the final payment, then sit back and enjoy your
revitalized, more energy-efficient home!
This column was co-written by Pat Keegan and Brad Thiessen of
Collaborative Efficiency. For more information on managing a home
renovation contractor, please visit: www.collaborativeefficiency.
com/energytips.
HVAC technicians or energy auditors can use diagnostic equipment to
measure air leakage and air flow.

Patrick Keegan writes on consumer and cooperative affairs
for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the
Arlington, Va.-based service arm of the nation’s 900-plus
consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperatives. Write to
energytips@collaborativeefficiency.com for more information.

38 APRIL 2018

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Alabama Living

APRIL 2018â&#x20AC;&#x192; 39

| Outdoors |

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Bears
on the move

As bear and human populations
increase, so do contacts

A

s weather improves, more Alabamians venture outdoors to enjoy
hiking, picnicking, turkey hunting,
fishing and other activities, but they are not
alone! Another very large, toothy Alabama
resident could watch their every move.
“Historically, black bears lived throughout the entire state,” says Thomas Harms,
the top large carnivore biologist for the Alabama Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources. “The population in Alabama is expanding.”
Harms estimates that 400 or so black
bears live in the state. Probably about 300
bears live in Baldwin, Mobile, Washington and Monroe counties. Another 50 to
100 live in the Little River Canyon area of
northeastern Alabama. Others may wander through just about any county at times.
John N. Felsher lives in Semmes, Ala.
Contact him through Facebook.

40 APRIL 2018

Most Alabama male bears weigh about
300 to 350 pounds and females about 100
pounds less. Compare that to grizzlies,
which could exceed 1,500 pounds and
stand more than nine feet tall. While not
as big as their giant cousins, black bears
still pose a serious danger to anyone who
crosses their paths.
Incredibly powerful predators with big
claws and teeth, black bears can kill people and cause extensive property damage
if they wish. Fortunately, attacks rarely
happen. Actually quite shy, the official Alabama state mammal characteristically tries
to avoid people. A bear could live near a
residential area and no one will see it.
“The last thing a bear wants to see is a
human,” Harms says. “We haven’t had any
bear attacks in Alabama in modern times.
Like most animals, bears have a natural
fear of people. It’s surprising how well such
a large animal can remain hidden. People
can go in the woods every day and not see
a bear, but the bear probably sees the per-

son every time. They know when a person
is in the woods and they want to get away
as quickly as they can.”
Some hikers carry whistles or horns
with them to frighten off any bears they
might see. Others carry pepper spray as a
last resort. Anyone who does spot a bear in
the forests should just leave it alone and go
somewhere else.
“A bear is not out to eat a human,” Harms
says. “If you stumble upon a bear in the
woods, let it know you are there so it can
get away. Give the bear space. Back away
from it. Don’t turn and run away from it
because that could trigger a predatory instinct in the bear.”
However, as the bear and human populations continue to grow, the two species
might bump into each other more frequently, particularly in places like Mobile
County with large human and bear populations. Most bear-human encounters typically involve food. An omnivore, a bear
will eat practically anything.
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APRIL 2018â&#x20AC;&#x192; 41

Don’t give bears any reason to come
around a house. Never intentionally feed a
bear or put out food to attract one. In bear
country, put refuse in bear-proof trashcans. At night, bring in pets and pet food.
Never leave any food or food residue where
a bear can find it. A bear could smell an old
sandwich wrapper and tear anything apart
looking for food.
“Bears can be dangerous, but they don’t
have to be,” Harms says. “If bears begin
to associate humans with food, that causes problems. Some people put out corn
feeders, whether to hunt deer or just draw
animals to the property. Bears find that
corn. Bears are also looking for fruit or
mast-producing trees.”
Young male bears probably cause the
most problems. When young bears reach
a certain age, their mother pushes them
away as she prepares to breed again. On
their own for the first time, these strong
youngsters wander long distances looking
for food, a mate and territory to call home,
one not already occupied by larger bears.
“Young male bears start moving about
in May,” Harms says. “They are young and
dumb. Up until that time, momma has
been telling them what to do. They don’t
show any fear of humans and sometimes
walk through the middle of big towns.
That’s when we get a lot of calls about people seeing bears.”
When a female black bear reaches about
two years old, she starts to breed. In Alabama, bears normally breed in July or
August. About every two to three years, a
female will deliver one to four cubs in January or February. She will likely live about
10 to 20 years and might produce 10 to 15
offspring in her lifetime.
In the spring, hikers, hunters or other
outdoor enthusiasts might spot a mother
with one or more cubs or possibly just a
cub by itself. Never attempt to catch or approach a bear cub. Cubs may look like cute
and cuddly fuzzballs, but they are not pets
and probably not alone or lost. Momma is
likely not far away. Get away from the cub
and stay out of that area.
If you see a bear in Alabama, please
report it to the ALDCNR at game.dcnr.
alabama.gov/BlackBear or call the
nearest ALDCNR office.
For more information, call Harms in
Spanish Fort at 251-626-5153.
Wildlife researchers weigh a black bear they
captured in Washington County and check its
health before releasing it. About 400 to 500 black
bears live in Alabama, mostly in the southwestern
and northeastern parts of the state.
PHOTO BY KARIN HARMS

Tables indicate peak fish and game feeding and
migration times. Major periods can bracket the
peak by an hour before and an hour after. Minor
peaks, half-hour before and after. Adjusted for
daylight savings time.
Minor

Thanks to its short list of fairly accessible ingredients, bread, in
its many forms, is the world’s most-eaten food. Most leavened
bread gets its rise from yeast, and the way this little organism
works is pretty interesting. Yeast is alive, and each individual yeast
cell must eat to continue living. Yeasts’ favorite food is sugar, and
when they’re added to bread dough, the yeasts feast on the sugars,
breaking them down and emitting carbon dioxide and alcohol. As
a gas, the carbon dioxide forms bubbles, which grow and expand,
“plumping up” the dough. This process intensiﬁes in the heat of the
oven, as does the evaporation of the alcohol.

Garlic Rosemary Bread recipe on page 46.

44 APRIL 2018

www.alabamaliving.coop

Knead

some

dough?

A warm-from-the-oven slice of freshly baked homemade bread is worth its weight in
gold and deﬁnitely worth the effort required to make and bake it.

B

read has long been associated with money. The person bringing home the majority of
a family or household’s income is the breadwinner. We often say someone doing well
financially is “raking in the dough.” The link has its origins in the important role bread
has played in the welfare of cultures around the world since man first started farming.
As one of the oldest “prepared foods,” daily bread was essential for life, and thus, it
attained high value. In places like ancient Egypt and middle-ages France, bread was
used as credit and currency.
Today, most of us no longer live by bread alone, and as some of us try to watch our waistlines,
bread — with its high calorie and carb count — has been given a lesser place of prominence in
many modern diets. But this just puts it on a pedestal again, giving it a new kind of value as something some deem a splurge or a luxury.
Our access to all kinds of bread makes it even more special. We can easily get our hands on
bread types from all over the globe: flat but pillowy Indian naan; a skinny, crusty French baguette; or a round of chewy Italian ciabatta. If you prefer to go all-American, you’ve still got lots of
options: a soft loaf of tangy sourdough, a slice studded with raisins and swirled with cinnamon, a
beer-boosted bread or just a plain piece of basic white.
And if you want to stay true to our region, cornbread is certainly the South’s favorite bread. Or is
it the biscuit? (It’s definitely risen beyond the realm of bread but is still bread nonetheless.) That’s a
debate with no wrong answer.
Wherever your bread cravings take your taste buds, set aside some time to try out a few of this
month’s reader submitted recipes.
BY JENNIFER KORNEGAY | FOOD/PHOTOGRAPHY BY BROOKE ECHOLS

Alabama Living

APRIL 2018 45

Garlic Rosemary Bread
2 cups lukewarm water (105 degrees
Fahrenheit)
1 package active dry yeast (21/4 teaspoons)
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
41/3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Sea salt
In a large mixing bowl, combine water
and yeast. Add 1 cup of flour and salt;
stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Stir in rosemary leaves and
minced garlic. Add remaining flour, one
cup at a time, stirring until thoroughly
combined. Cover with plastic wrap and
set in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour. Add
one tablespoon of olive oil in an 8 or
10-inch cast iron skillet; using a napkin
or your fingers, coat bottom and sides
of skillet with the olive oil. Flour your
hands; remove plastic wrap and using
your hands, transfer dough to prepared
skillet and shape into a disk. Cover with
a kitchen towel and let stand for 30
minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Drizzle remaining olive oil over the top
and sprinkle with sea salt. Score the top
of the loaf with some shallow knife cuts.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until top is
nicely browned. Remove from oven and
turn the bread out onto a wire cooling
rack. Leave to cool for a few minutes and
serve. (If you do not have an iron skillet,
you can use a stoneware baking dish).
NOTE: Remove bread from pan as soon
as it comes out of the oven because
bread left in the pan will become moist
and soggy.
Mary Rich
North Alabama EC

No Corn Jalapeno
"Cornbread"
1 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg, beaten
1/2-3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup pickled (not hot) jalapenos dried
on a paper towel
3/4 cup grated cheddar or Fontina
cheese
1 tablespoon cooking oil
Place an 8-inch cast iron skillet into
the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt and
baking soda in a bowl. Add in egg and
milk; mix lightly until smooth and fluid.
(Add more milk if necessary so that
batter is loose enough to spread evenly
into bottom of skillet). Remove hot skillet from the oven and add 1 tablespoon
oil. Spread oil over bottom. Place back in
oven and heat for 5 minutes.
Remove skillet again and pour in half
the batter. Spread into a layer over the
bottom. Place the dry jalapenos over
the batter and then add the cheese over
the top. Pour the rest of the batter over
the jalapenos and cheese. Spread with
spoon to cover evenly. Bake 20 to 25
minutes until top is golden. Serves 2 to
4. Delicious, Paleo and gluten free.
Gay Cotton
Baldwin EMC

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease
a 9x5x3-inch bread loaf pan. In a large
bowl, whisk together the flour, baking
powder and salt until combined. Slowly
pour the beer and honey into the flour
mixture, add optional ingredients if you
desire and stir until combined. Pour half
of the melted butter into the bottom
of the loaf pan and spread it around
evenly. Then add the batter to the pan in
an even layer and brush the rest of the
butter around evenly on top of the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the
top of the bread is golden brown and a
toothpick or knife inserted in the middle
comes out clean.
Shari Lowery
Pioneer EC

Coming up in May...
Junior Cooks!
www.alabamaliving.coop

Cook of the Month:

Robin O'Sullivan, Wiregrass EC
Robin O’Sullivan loves fresh, local strawberries,
and when they’re in season each spring, she’s
always looking for ways to incorporate them
into her cooking. She’d made chocolate-banana
bread for years, and then one day, decided to
branch out and try chocolate-strawberry bread instead. “It was really
just an experiment,” she said. “I love the flavor combo of chocolate and strawberry, so I figured it would work.” It did. It’s become a
regular in her baking rotation, and while it is technically bread, she
admits it’s flirting with being a dessert. “It’s sweet and a bit rich, but
like a banana bread, you can still eat it for breakfast,” she said.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottoms of two 9x5-inch or 8x4-inch
loaf pans. Lightly flour. Slightly mash strawberries; set aside. In a large bowl,
mix sugar and oil. Stir in eggs until well blended. Stir in strawberries until
well mixed. Stir in remaining ingredients, except chocolate chips, just until
moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into pans. Bake 1 hour or until
toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove
from pans to wire rack. Cool completely before slicing.

June: Heirloom Recipes | April 8
July: Frozen Treats | May 8
August: Corn | June 8
Cook of the Month winners will receive $50, and may win “Cook of the
Month” only once per calendar year. One gift basket winner will be drawn
monthly at random and each name will be entered only once. Items in
basket may vary each month. To be eligible, submissions must include a
name, phone number, mailing address and co-op name. Alabama Living
reserves the right to reprint recipes in our other publications.

Editor’s Note: Alabama Living’s recipes are submitted by our readers. They are not kitchen-tested by a professional cook or registered
dietician. If you have special dietary needs, please check with your doctor or nutritionist before preparing any recipe.
Alabama Living

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are on a prepaid basis; Telephone numbers, email
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made payable to ALABAMA LIVING, P.O. Box 244014,
Montgomery, AL 36124 – Attn: Classifieds.

Be prepared for the summer heat with a few smart tips.
Have your air conditioner serviced before the long hot
summer begins. This can help prevent more costly
issues later and ensure your system is working most
efficiently. Use your fans and set your thermostat on
78 degrees.
Also, sign up to receive daily energy usage reports.
Simply go to www.covington.coop and click on
. From here you can manage your electric
account and track your energy use.
If you have a smart device download the “CEC Connect
App.” It also allows you to manage your electric account
and usage.
Conservation today is tomorrow’s future.

Alabama Living

APRIL 2018 51

| Our Sources Say |

The solar revolution

I

work in the electric utility industry and am drawn to issues
associated with the industry. Recently, a number of cities and
states have declared a goal of a 100% renewable electric supply.
Most often, the cornerstone of the renewable movement is solar
energy. Some people have declared we are in a solar revolution.
I view the goals of total renewable cities and states as impossible without great advancements in energy production and storage. I wrote about “Renewable Lies” last September. This month I
visit solar power more closely.
The price of solar panels has declined exponentially and the
cost of solar power has also declined. Solar technology works in
producing electricity at least when the sun is shining. Solar advocates point out that enough solar energy hits the earth in a single
day to power the planet for a full year. Solar generation can be
installed by individuals and scaled up by utilities. Solar power is
the hottest, coolest thing in electricity.
However, a recently released book by Varun Sivaram, Taming
the Sun: Innovations to Harness Solar Energy and Power the Planet, lays out the case that solar power will need much more policy
support and innovation to reach the heights predicted.
Dr. Sivaram holds a Ph.D. in physics, and is a solar expert and
energy advisor. He favors alternative energy sources and supports solar power, but finds the limitations of solar power must
be recognized to truly break through. I haven’t ready his book yet,
but I have read three reviews and Dr. Sivaram’s synopsis.
First, silicon technologies dominate the solar generation market today. However, Dr. Sivaram believes silicon technologies
have plateaued. Manufacturing techniques are still improving but
are leveling off. Solar panel manufacturers spend only 1% of revenue in research and development, a level well below the average
for a major, evolving industry. That will have to increase if more
efficient solar technologies in organic and quantum dot panels
are developed.
Second, Dr. Sivaram states that solar development has leveled
at a range of 5% to 10% of total electric usage in Greece, Germany,
Italy and Spain, four of the countries with leading solar deployment. He believes additional development in those countries will

require additional breakthrough in solar technologies. The leveling of solar deployment will reduce the demand for solar panels
and reduce manufacturing efficiency.
Third, Germany and California have experienced operational
problems in integrating solar power into the grid, which needs
reliable generation sources. He finds intermittent solar power
creates additional operational expenses for the grid, even as the
cost of solar power falls. Solar-induced grid costs will inhibit additional solar development.
Fourth, Dr. Sivaram notes that lithium-ion batteries are not
well-suited for days or weeks of electric storage. Additional development in battery storage is necessary for efficient electric storage
required for wide-scale solar generation deployment.
Fifth, Dr. Sivaram notes, in addition to additional expenses for
the electric grid, deployment of localized solar power shifts costs
among retail customers. Utilities can’t effectively collect the fixed
costs required to maintain reliable generation resources to backup solar generation; collection of those fixed costs are shifted to
non-solar customers. The shifting of costs among customers will
result in disruption of efficient operation of the electric grid, which
is necessary to support the intermittent nature of solar power.
Dr. Sivaram’s conclusion is that marginal improvements in silicon panel technology alone will not be enough to drive a solar
revolution. He calls for systemic innovation, including restructuring the entire energy infrastructure, economic markets and
energy policies to allow for high penetration of solar generation.
He believes that a series of integrated energy breakthroughs are
required to move closer to a solar energy future. He believes additional government investment in energy research and additional
subsidies for solar generation will be necessary to drive additional solar innovation.
I assume that means Dr. Sivaram believes the 30% federal tax
credit for solar generation is not enough. Taxpayers apparently
need to kick in even more to chase the promise of a successful
solar revolution. I am in agreement with at least one renewable
power advocate that we aren’t close yet.
I hope you have a good month.

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OFFICES SERVING ALABAMA:

The discovery of the Orline St. John
illiam Harris
was
deadheading
when he saw the
hog chains.
That was what
he told me back
in 1991 when I
interviewed him
in his store at ‘Possum Bend, west of
Camden and not
far from the Alabama River.
“Deadheads”
were
sunken
logs that had lain
long in the water
and had taken
on the tea-color
that was highly
prized by furniture makers. “Hog
chains” were the
rods used to stabilize steamboats that
once plied the waters.
Moving closer, Harris
could see the outline
of the hull.
It was 1954.
Harris was a riverman. All his life he had heard stories of steamboat wrecks. Now he had found one.
Getting some friends to help him, they began free diving and
soon their efforts brought results. Out of the mud and silt came
twisted metal, nails, buttons, bits of copper and scraps of leather
and cloth. Then one of them recovered a piece of broken dinnerware, with something written on it. As they washed away the muck,
the bright blue words came clear: “Orline St. John Tim Meaher.”
The names recalled one of the era’s great steamboat captains,
Tim Meaher, and one of the era’s great tragedies. In March of
1850, the steamboat Orline St. John caught fire and burned. Nearly 40 passengers and crew perished, including all the women and
children on board.
With the wreck identified, Harris wanted to know more. So he
began digging into old courthouse records and there he found
mention of a strongbox and its treasure. The news could not be

Harvey H. (Hardy) Jackson is Professor Emeritus at Jacksonville
State University and a regular contributor to Alabama Living. He
can be reached at hjackson@cableone.net.

54 APRIL 2018

contained
and
soon the local
press
reported
that “Wilcox Gold
Hunters” were at
work on the river. Fearing for the
future of their
find, Harris and
his friends obtained salvage
Then
rights.
they brought in
a
“centrifugal
pump” to blow
away the silt.
Up came an
impressive array of artifacts
– dishes, razors,
knives,
forks,
needles, thimbles,
buttons,
shoes, blots of
cloth, barrels,
kegs, and thousands of nails.
Once they found
a box intact. On
its way to the surface it broke apart and what they
thought were coins spilled out – but they were only brass-collar
buttons.
Also brought up were items that personalized the tragedy: “a
miniature locket” with a “blue and pink enameled design” that was
likely worn by one of the women, and a “dainty baby dress” that
had survived the fire and almost a century under water, but fell to
pieces when it dried.
They did not find any gold. There were lumps of coins which
have been melted together by the intense heat, but there was no
treasure.
Harris took what he found home and displayed it at his store.
Meanwhile, in 1969, the U.S. Corps of Engineers built a dam at
Miller’s Ferry, about 20 miles below the wreck. Soon the Orline St.
John was under 40 feet of water.
But river rumors die hard and even today it is told around of
how after the lake was full, divers went down, found the gold –
bars about the size of “cakes of Octagon Soap” according to one
report -- and spirited it away.
Maybe they did.
Or maybe there was never any treasure.
Or maybe it is still there.
William Harris died in 2008 at the age of 98.
Illustration by Dennis Auth